October 20, 2016

The local chapters of Bersih 2.0 and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) filed police reports here today, adding to pressure on the authorities to take seriously the death threats a la Islamic State (IS) against three social activists and their families.

Bersih 2.0 Northern Peninsula vice chair Dr Toh Kin Woon said other Bersih 2.0 branches in Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Sarawak are also lodging similar police reports over the death threats sent to the Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah, her three children, Bersih 2.0 secretariat member Mandeep Singh and Human Rights Society president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan .

“We want the police to conduct a thorough investigation into this and take action against those responsible for these threats,” Toh said in a brief press conference after lodging the police report at the northeast district police headquarters here.

Toh said he received a WhatsApp message on Monday telling him of the IS-style threat against the quintet.

Chin had received a warning through a WhatsApp message from an unknown phone number that she and her three children would be beheaded if the Bersih 5 rally goes on as scheduled on November 19.

Similar warnings were made to Mandeep and Ambiga the same day.

Hindraf’s People Movement Leadership Senate Member N. Ganesan said such threats must be nipped in the bud as it threatens the peace and harmony of the country.

“We hope the police will investigate and arrest those responsible for this,” he said.

Both Ganesan and Toh said they are lodging the police reports because they feared for the safety of Chin, her children, Ambiga and Mandeep.